Amphibian aircraft



July 4, 1933. v. J. BURNELLI AMPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT Filed July 2?. 1929Patented Ju 4, 3

- UNITED STA res PATENT OFFICE VINCENT .1. nun-Luann, or nnw'ronx, n.Y., nssrenon, BY mnsnn Assrenmnnr's, .ro

BURNELLI nmcm'r, LTD.,

] DOVER, DELAWARE, A

CORPORATION OI DELAWARE AHPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT Application filed July 27,

. I This invention relates to amphibian aircraft having retractiblewheels for land traction and a pontoon for support on water, and myimprovements are directed to the following novel features.

The wheels, which normally extend below the pontoon, ded with attachedare provi housings in the form of floats, said floats,

' when elevated with the wheels, having con- 'tail skid. Therefore inrear portion of the pontoon-is hinged and tact with the water surface tothereby assist the pontoon in maintaining'equilibrium of the craft. i

The pontoon, while of suitable lengthfor flotation purposes, is too longwhen the wheeled traction means are in service, because then its rearportion interferes with the surface line between the traction wheels andthe my improvement the adapted to swing npwar ly. a Means are providedunder the pilots control for" retracting and extending the tracconnectedwith the fuselage In said views let 1 indicate an airfoil fuselage ofthe Burnelli type, 2 the main sup orting airfoils, 3 a

the rear portion of the fuselage, 4 a pontoon 6 the'traction wheels whicare journalled 1n lfiousings 7 said housings having the form of oats. v

Ihe wheeled landing gear is shown in full linesin its operative pos'tionand in dotted lines as retracted.

The wheels and housi the-pontoon by means of are 8 that are pivotedrespectively to said ho'usin and pontoons as indicated at 9, 10, w erebysaid wheels and housin means,

1 bearings 13 for the propeller shafts 14, where tween the fuselage, at

wheeled skid extended rom by struts 5, "land are -connected to aV-shaped gap when-the are capable of vertical movement. Attac ed tothehousings at 1929. Serial no. 381,433..

their respective inner surfaces, are the cylinders 11, forming part ofhydraulic control said cylinders containing plungers whose plunger rods12 are extended up they have pivoted connection.

-The cylinders 11 and their plunger rods 12 constitute telescopicconnecting means be- I 13, and'the floats, in addition to their service1n the hydraulic operating system.

Q As means for moving the, cylinders 11 vertically and therebyretracting or extending 'the housings and wheels I have 'shown a mastercylinder 15, with operating means 16, included in the hydraulic system,flexible pipes 17 and 18 leading respectively from cylinder '15 to thecylinders 11, at opposite sides of the plungers therein, said pipes 17,18 beingprovided with valves '17, 18 under thecontrol of the pilot, sothat the hydraulic pressure may be applied either to the propellerbearings raising or lowering the cylinders 11, respectively forretraction or extension of the landing gear.

In the vertical movement of cylinders 11 and attached housings andwheels a slight lateral movement thereof occurs because of the pivotedconnection of bars 8 with the pontoon, plunger rod 12 is pivotallyconnected at its upper end, instead of havingrigid means of connection.

Thepontoon, to havesui'table length for I flotationpurposes whilesupporting the aircraft, is foundto interfere at its. rear portion withthe operation of the aircraft upon traction. wheels and the tail skidruns through said rear portion. Therefore I .form the pontoon intwoparts, viz; the forward part i and the rearwardpart 4, these partsbeing .hinged together as at 19, and having their opposed ends spacedapart over being sufficient in for use on water; the gap to be raisedabove:

the traction wheels,

because the surface line between the and it is for this reason that each#9 96 part 4 is lowered part 4 becomes automatically .nously raisedin'the act of extending the landnot then interfere with the operation ofthe aircraft on land.

As means for shiftin the pontoon part 4 between its two positions Iprovide pairs of links 20, 21, each pair being pivoted together at 22,and, at their outer ends, having pivoted connection res ctively with thepart 4 and with the fuse age 1. Thus the link of each pair is pivoted at23 to the part 4, and the link .21 of each pair is pivoted at 24 to thefuselage. A rod 25 has pivoted engagement with the joint or pivot 22,and is movable longitudinally to either break the joint between links20, 21, or to extend said links. The joint in Fig. 2 is shown broken infull lines, the part 4 then being raised, and the links 20, 21 are shownextended in dotted lines, with the part 4% lowered.

In the lowered position of part 4" it is held and braced from thefuselage by the extended position of links 20, 21.

The rods 25 each engage pivotally at their forward ends with bell-cranks26, that have slots 27 to receive extended end'portions 8 of bars 8, tobe actuated thereby in the operation of the hydraulic means forretractin and extending the landing gear.

y the arrangement shown, the pontoon or synchroing gear for service, andsaid part 4' likewise becomes lowered for pontoon use in the act ofretracting the landlng gear.

As the extensions 8' of bars 8 are entered through openings in the sidewalls of the pontoons suitable means (not herein shown) may be providedto prevent the entry of water through such openings.

Also, since the pontoon isinade in the two parts, 4, 4, the opposed endsof said arts are necessarily provided with indivldual closure means.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equallycomprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. The combination with an airplane having a fusela e and a pontoonconnected therewith, of landing gear disposed at opposite sides of saidpontoon and movable between positions below and above the pontoonbottom, said pontoon composed of forward and rear parts in hingedrelation, and

means for raisingand lowering said rear part of the pontoon. I

2. The combination with an airplane having a fusela e and a pontoonconnected therewith, o landing gear disposed at oposite sides of saidpontoon and shiftable tween positions below and above the pontoonbottom, said pontoon composed of forward and rear parts in hingedrelation, means for shifting said landing gear, and means coacting withsaid shifting means for raising and lowering said rear part of thepontoon.

- 3. The combination in an airplane having a fuselage and a pontoonconnected therewith, of landing gear comprising floats disposedrespectively at opposite sides of said pontoon and traction wheels thatare journalled and partly housed within said floats, means of pivotalconnection between said floats and pontoon that permit said floats to bemoved up and down in a substantially vertical plane, and hydraulicmeans, including a cylinder element and 'a iston element, for movingsaid floats, one 0 said elements being attached to a float and'the otherelement being pivotally connected to the fuselage.

4. The combination in an airplane having a fuselage and a pontoonconnected therewith, of floats spaced respectively from the oppositesides of said pontoon, traction wheels journalled and partially housedin said floats, pivotal supporting means between said floats and ontoonthat permit said floats to be moved up and down in a substantiallyvertical plane, and hydraulic means, under the pilots control, formoving said floats.

5. The combination in an airplane having a. body and a pontoon connectedtherewith, of floats spaced respectively from the opposite sides of saidpontoon, traction wheels journalled and partially housed in said floats,pivotal supporting means between said floats and pontoon that permitsaid floats to be moved bodily up and down in a substantially verticalplane, and actuating means, under the pilots control, for moving saidfloats.

Executed this 24th day of July, 1929.

VINCENT J. BURNELLI.

